Friday 31st January 1930
Born on this day, Jo Bonnier, Swedish sportscar racing and F1 driver. A wealthy Gentleman driver of the competitive kind and a very likeable personality, Jo Bonnier started in Formula 1 in 1957 with a Maserati and his greatest claim to fame was to claim BRM’s maiden Grand Prix victory at Zandvoort in 1959. He continued as a GP regular in private entries, although with decreasing success. Bonner was one of the driving forces behind the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. He proved to be highly competitive in endurance racing winning the Targa Florio twice (1960 and 1962) and the 1962 Sebring 12 Hours race. He was killed in the 1972 Le Mans 24 hours race when his private Lola-Cosworth T280 took off after colliding with Swiss amateur Florian Vetsch’s Ferrari Daytona and was shattered in the trees on the roadside. Jo Bonner. Bonnier died aged 42 in a hideous accident on the straight between Mulsanne Corner and Indianapolis at Le Mans in 1972.
